Condemned to Repeat It?

Is it nothing more than an ominous coincidence that both the course of events that triggered World War I in 1914 and the Israeli military action against Gaza this year each began on June 28th? Both originated with seemingly isolated incidents -- the assassination of Franz Ferdinand by a terrorist in Serbia and the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit by terrorists in Gaza -- yet each had far-reaching consequences for the countries involved and their allies. I can't help but suspect that the currently escalating conflict will grow to entangle many of the nations of the world as their industrial and religious interests in the region are threatened.

At the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg this weekend, the 7 major economic powers in the world and Russia voiced apprehension and concern over what they deemed Israel's disproportionate use of force, while news this weekend implicated Iranian troops and munitions used in attacks on an Israeli naval vessel as well as on Haifa - a city which until recently was believed to be out of range of Hezbollah rockets.

Some believe that Hezbollah is being encouraged by Iran, in a subtle jab at the U.S. Others believe that Israel may be acting with U.S. encouragement to widen the conflict, provoking Iran and providing justification for Israeli attacks on the nuclear weapons infrastructure of a dangerous nation.

This week I plan three posts, each addressing a different aspect of the Israeli/Arab conflict that continues in the Middle East. The first will address the root of the conflict, Israel's right to exist or lack there-of. The second will be focused on the Palestinians and their claims, and the third will deal with options and possibilities.

Hopefully we won't one day look back on the summer of 2006 with the same sentimental regret that the world viewed the summer of 1914, as one by one the opportunities to avoid disaster slip away.